Next morning
Haseena pulled her dupatta higher around her neck as she stepped outside, but it couldn't hide the warmth that had set camp on her cheeks.
"Baby!" Veer's voice called from behind.
She turned, half hopeful he'd forgotten. But the grin on his face crushed that hope.
"Don't trip on your own heartbeat," he teased, handing her a packet of biscuits.
"For your nerves," he added, voice softer now.
She took them, mumbling thanks, trying not to smile too hard.
"And Baby?" he added, leaning on the gate, voice dropping to a conspiratorial tone.
"If you see Sir... try blinking at least once every ten seconds. Or you'll look like a lovesick goat."
"Bhaiya!" she hissed, cheeks turning the exact shade of a strawberry.
Veer's laugh chased her all the way to the rickshaw.
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
Haseena sat by the window, forehead resting against the iron bars, wind tangling her hair.
The road flew past, but inside her head, it was yesterday again.
The dusty library.
The almost-whispered confession.
And that kiss - gentle, unsure, but certain in all the ways words weren't.
She pressed her lips together, as if trying to trap the memory between them.
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
The college was buzzing: students lugging files, groups chattering, someone chasing a friend with a water bottle.
But all Haseena noticed was the pounding in her own chest.
"Okay, spill!" Shazia pounced before she could take a full breath.
"Morning," Haseena tried weakly.
"Don't morning me, Baby," Riya scolded, eyes laser-focused on Haseena's face. "You have that... that glow."
Shazia's grin widened. "Wait, don't tell me he-"
Haseena clapped a hand over her friend's mouth, ears burning. "Lower your voice! Do you want the entire college to know?!"
---
Shazia pulled her hand away, lowering her tone but not her excitement.
"So... was it soft? Was it slow? Was there tongue-"
"Shazia!" Haseena squeaked, feeling her soul evaporate.
A passing student gave them a curious glance; Haseena wanted to bury herself six feet under.
Riya covered her mouth, giggling. "You're so red, Baby! Even your ears are blushing."
Haseena's voice cracked. "I hate both of you."
The laughter, the teasing - it all went silent the moment he appeared at the end of the corridor.
Anubhav.
Light streaming over his shoulder, hair slightly messy like he'd run a hand through it too many times.
In that white shirt rolled at the sleeves, he looked less like a professor and more like a secret only she knew.
His eyes flickered across the corridor, found hers - and softened.
That look alone made the walls hum.
Shazia noticed instantly. "Oh my God, he's looking right at you," she whispered, gripping Haseena's arm.
Riya's jaw dropped. "Baby, blink! Breathe! Do something!"
But Haseena couldn't. She felt rooted, heart thudding so hard she swore it echoed off the walls.
Anubhav walked closer.
Not hurried. Just... sure.
Students parted, too caught up in their own chatter to notice the silent electricity stretching between them.
When he passed them, his hand brushed against her dupatta - a fleeting, almost accidental touch.
Except it wasn't.
He stopped, just for a second, his voice low enough that only she could hear.
"Morning," he murmured.
Haseena's throat went dry. "Morning," she whispered back, her voice embarrassingly shaky.
He noticed. Of course he did.
His lips curved - not a full smile, but the promise of one.
"Your brother should teach you how to hide a secret," he teased, voice soft as velvet.
She stiffened, shocked. "How do you know-?"
Anubhav's eyes twinkled. "You're not the only observer, Haseena."
Before she could gather her scattered heartbeat, he added quietly, "And thank him... for the biscuits. I remember someone didn't eat breakfast yesterday."
She gaped. "You saw that?"
"I see a lot," he whispered, voice dipping. "And Baby... you blush very easily."
Her breath hitched. The corridor, the noise, her friends - everything blurred.
A voice rang out. "Sir, the staff meeting is starting!"
He stepped back, the warmth lingering between them.
"Go," he said softly. "Before your friends faint from curiosity."
She swallowed. "Okay."
And then, because boldness felt easier around him now, she added, voice barely a whisper:
"You blush easily too, you know."
For a split second, his composed face cracked - surprise, then a quiet laugh.
And he walked away, shaking his head.
Shazia was practically vibrating. "WHAT. DID. HE. SAY?"
Riya bounced on her toes. "Baby, you look like you're floating. What did he say?!"
Haseena bit her lip, smile impossible to hide.
"Nothing," she whispered.
They groaned in unison.
But inside, her heart repeated every word, every stolen second - storing it away like secret love letters.
🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀🥀
Love didn't need grand confessions every day.
Sometimes it was a look in a crowded hallway, a quiet joke only two people shared -
and a brother's teasing that reminded her she wasn't alone in this madness.
YOU ARE READING
༺ 𒆜Ishq Ka Pehla Saya 𒆜 ༻
Fanfiction✧ Phase One: A childhood full of mischief, secrets, and survival. ✧ Phase Two: A college girl's battle between forbidden love and family duty. Haseena was born into rejection. But she was also born to fight. With two brothers who love her, a grandmo...
